HYDERABAD, India — A fire swept through a train car packed with sleeping passengers in southern India on Monday, killing at least 32 people and sending panicked survivors rushing for the only clear exit once the train stopped, officials said.
Investigators found charred remains of victims still in their sleeping berths and were struggling to identify them.
A railway station worker noticed the burning coach as the overnight train from New Delhi to the southeastern city of Madras passed through the town of Nellore about 4 a.m., local official B. Sridhar said. Nellore is about 310 miles south of Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh state.
Once the alarm was raised, the train was stopped and the coach was detached from the rest of the train to prevent the blaze from spreading.
Passengers were evacuated once the train was halted.